Random thoughts, poems, jottings, and as it says, musings. About anything and everything!

Friday, 17 March 2017

The Victorian 1983 - Part 1

Today's post comes from a 1983 edition of "The Victorian", a magazine published by Victoria College. I've only met two of the names here - Bob Le Sueur, who was just retiring as teacher, but whose time of retirement has been anything but retiring and low key, and Geoff Hamon.

Bob is a distant relative, whom I've tended to come across occasionally in the past at funerals. I remember him enlivening the tea and biscuits after the funeral of my Great Aunt Eunice Le Marquand many years ago, when the Minister got her name wrong as "Eunice Hannah". "I'm sure I heard a knock from the coffin at that point" he said jovially.

The other is Geoff Hamon, whom I remember we came across on a package holiday in the 1970s to Tunisia, where he asked my father not to make mention of Geoff's profession as Comptroller of Income Tax. That's very understandable: other guests may not be as easy to get to know at a holiday resort if they know you head a tax office!

In our last edition I appealed for news of OVs. The response
has been overwhelming and I wish to thank sincerely all those who have written
to me. The volume of mail has, however, produced its own problem! Some letters
are brief whilst others run to several pages of fascinating detail. Should I
offer the Editor a limited selection on a first-come, first-served basis? This
would mean holding back many letters until the next publication in July 1984 or
even later. After troubled reflection, I have decided to acknowledge as many
letters as possible in this issue by including a totally inadequate reference
to each of nearly 50 replies. Writers and readers may rest assured, however, that
future editions of 'The Victorian' will contain much of the interesting detail
I am obliged to omit from this issue. At all events, this edition spans some OVs
from 1908 to 1981, so I hope all readers will find news of someone from their
generation at V C J. !

L. A. L.

Brigadier Laurence Owen Clarke was at V.C.J. from 1908-1916.
After a distinguished military career he is now living in Devon. Has received
The Victorian regularly since 1916. He has a photo of the 1914 O.T.C. camp at
Tidworth Pennings on which he "recognises A. T. Pirouet, A. D. Ogilvy. C.
E. Gilbert, A. P. Whitley and A. G. Rundle"

Carl T. Quinn-Young, O.B.E., M.A., F.R.G.S. (1912-1922).
After a fine academic and sporting record at College, gained an Honours Degree
in Physics at Oxford. Was appointed Superintendent of Education in Nigeria (1926)
where he served for 30 years. Subsequently, manager and editor of overseas
books of Evans' Brothers. Now an octogenarian "with itchy feet"
living in retirement in West Sussex.

Major G. E. Field, M.B.E. (1912-1918). Refers to his splendid
army career in India, Malaya and Singapore as "undistinguished"! POW
for three and a half years. Subsequently worked with Max Factor & Co. Inc.
until 1968, when he retired to Bournemouth.

Major-General D. J. Wilson-Haffenden, C.B.E. (1917-1918).
Another outstanding military record. Was on the staff of Field Marshal Lord
Alexander during the final B.E.F, evacuation from Dunkirk, where he was on the beaches
for ten days Subsequently served in Burma and finally in India under
Field-Marshal Lord Auchinleck. Now President of the Dunkirk Veterans'
Association (Pool of London branch), receiving a warm welcome when he went with
his wife on this year's Dunkirk Pilgrimage. Resident in Wimbledon.

W. I. A. Faed (1918-1924). Both this O V. and his brother F.
C. Faed were outstanding members of College's cricket eleven in the early
'twenties. He recalls the Elizabeth match when his brother took nine wickets from
26 overs, catching the last man off his own bowling. In the 'away' match, his
brother captured six Guernsey wickets for a total of 15 runs in two innings!
From 1928 to 1961, managed a tobacco, maize, cattle and poultry farm in
Southern Rhodesia. Subsequently moved to Western Australia where he and his
wife are breeding Limousin cattle, "whose meat commands premium
prices"

Graham M. Moore (1918-1923) has also been living in Western
Australia for the last twenty years. In 1923 he joined the Eastern Telegraph
Co., now known as Cable and Wireless P.L.C. Was appointed variously to Lisbon, Gibraltar
and Alexandria. After spells at Salisbury (Rhodesia) and London, was sent in 1941
to Ascension Island. Was torpedoed en route and, after six days in an open
boat, reached land on the Guinea coast, eventually reaching Ascension Island in
July! Further

appointments took this much-travelled O.V. back to Rhodesia
and then to Bermuda. Durban. Buenos Aires. Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad, Cyprus,
Vancouver, Aden and Hong Kong.

Robin Le G. Mauger (1921-1927) has written a most charming
letter in which he recalls that, in his school days, he was generally nicknamed
'Fatty' or 'Tubby' because he was 10 stone 10 lbs on entering College and 19 stone
5 lbs. when he left. Robin writes: "Unfortunately, apart from one occasion
when I was tug-of-war anchor man for Dunlop. it was considered that other
sporting activities were beyond my capabilities " But Robin certainly had
other capabilities and, on leaving College, joined the local firm of J. W.
Huelin, the timber merchants from which he retired as director in 1971.

Sir Arthur de la Mare, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O. (1926-1932). It is
almost an impertinence to write of the career of such a distinguished O.V. and
it would certainly be simpler to refer the reader to "Who's Who". As
Sir Arthur has, however, written to me. I am permitted to recall that he
entered College in 1926 from Trinity School on a States Scholarship, became the
first Dan's Scholar and went on to Cambridge in 1932 on a Major Open
Scholarship After his retirement from the Diplomatic Service in 1971 (his last
post was H.M. Ambassador to Thailand) he spent some years as Adviser to Massey-Ferguson.
the world-wide organisation manufacturing and marketing agricultural machinery.
He has been chairman of the Anglo-'Thai Society, the Royal Society for Asian
Affairs and is still the dynamic chairman of the Jersey Society in London. Sir
Arthur writes that his only criticism of the latter society is that "it
has long since forsaken the admonition of its principal founding father that
all its transactions should he in Jersey-French!"

William O. Johnson (1923-1927) resides in Chiswick and
states briefly that he was in the Metropolitan Police for 25 years. Thereafter,
he worked as an investigator for an insurance company and is "now
pottering about in an insurance broker's office".

O.V. dinner last November after an interval of 45 years -
the last one at the Palace Hotel. I might be there for my 50th anniversary of
leaving V.C.J. this December I left College at the same time as R G. Scrisen,
who died last year, and A. G. Candlin w ho was killed in Burma in 1942 (and
whose sister. Marguerite. I married in October 1942). We all had tea with the
Headmaster. Mr. J. H. Grummitt. the day we left V C.J.. being the first leavers
of his time. I see P. R. d'A. Aplin. who left in 1925 regularly as he lives
nearby. He is a descendant of Admiral Philip D’Auvergne. who became temporarily
Due de Bouillon and after whom Prince's Tower was named, I understand."

Donald P. Vardon, D.F.C. (1930-1937) writes: "We recently
had the pleasure of a visit from Wing Cdr. Alan Nessitt and his wife. We were
also visited recently by Denis Clift and his wife who came up from Wiltshire
for the day. Denis and I had an enjoyable game of golf at my club at Chipping Norton."

R. W. ('Bob') Le Sueur (1932-1931;) Haying retired in 1981
after 24 scars of teaching at Hautlieu. Bob. who still lives in St. Clement.
has written a most amusing and informative letter about a "five-month
jaunt to Asia". Look out for a full account in it future edition of The Victorian.'
Suffice it to say that Bob's exploits involved hiking. trekking and camping
through deserts and over mountain peaks to say nothing of visiting ancient temples
and "sensitive- areas in Turkey. Iran and the Middle East (Golan height)s

Geoffrey H. Hamon (1934-1941) Widely known as Jersey's Comptroller
of Income Tax. Geoff goes into retirement at the end of this year after 29
years of service in that awesome post. He writes "If I say I have enjoyed
the duties. the reaction will be that I am a sadist, but nevertheless it is
true that I have found the job quite fascinating as this Island of ours flourished
economically under the leadership of the late Cyril Le Marquand to become a
leading international finance centre. Geoff was an outstanding games player and
gymnast in his days at VCJ, has always
been a prominent OV and sporting enthusiast and I am not at all surprised to
hear that he intends to spend an active retirement, continuing his travels
abroad with his wife. Pat.